Thessaloniki metro closer to completion
Notoriously beset by delays since construction began in 2006, the Thessaloniki metro seems to actually be on the final stretch after Wednesday’s contract signing with the private operator.
According to estimates, the northern port city’s main subway line will be ready in fall 2024, with the extension to the suburb of Kalamaria expected in spring 2025. Previously, the deadline had been December 2023.
“We can’t say precisely when, because we need to wait for the company and its systems to get certified,” said Deputy Infrastructure Minister Nikos Tachiaos.
The Thessaloniki metro is Greece’s first public-private partnership – with the French-Italian Thema consortium of ΑΤΜ and EGIS – for the operation of a subway system. The contract is for 12 years and has an overall budget of €292 million.
“We made a bold decision to use private expertise, the best at a European level, in order to ensure the project’s smooth and safe operation,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the signing.
Another question that arises is what the final bill will come to on a project that was supposed to be delivered in 2012. According to Elliniko Metro, the public company responsible for both Athens’ and Thessaloniki’s metro systems, the cost of the main line has come to just under €1.5 billion, with an additional €586 million for the Kalamaria extension. Those numbers will rise, of course, as construction has not been completed.
